Careem VS Uber: A Comparative Analysis

Careem VS Uber: A Comparative Analysis.Both the ride-hailing apps of Careem and Uber have successfully captivated the total attention of people in Pakistan. They have not only served as the toughest competition to the traditional local taxi system but have also been the major contributor in generating thousands of employment opportunities for non-employed people. There is no doubt in the fact that these apps have facilitated the people a lot and have made their life easier but we have also witnessed a criticism regarding the fares and service of both the apps. Some people prefer Careem owing to its good point while other go for Uber. In this blog, I will do a comparative analysis of both the apps in terms of fares. Services, coverage areas and marketing campaigns.

Comparison of Fares

Although, the market price of the both the apps are same but a small difference can still be noticed as Uber is 10% to 20% cheaper than Careem. Many people including me finds Careem little expansive.

Right now, Uber is offering 4 types of rides: Uber Go, Uber Mini, Uber Auto and Uber X. A small analysis of their fares is given below;

Uber Go

Uber Mini

Uber Auto

Uber X

Base Fair

80

50

45

110

Minimum fair

120

75

50

150

Charge per kilometer

6

4

4

9

Charge per minute

If you Cancel the ride

3

120

2.50

90

1

50

3

150

Both the ride-hailing apps of Careem and Uber have successfully captivated the total attention of people in Pakistan.

Careem is offering Careem Go, Careem Go+, Careem Business and Careem Tez. Let’s do a small analysis of all these.

Careem Go

Careem Go+

Careem Business

Careem Tezz

Base Fair

75

110

160

65

Minimum Fair

100

150

250

70

Charge per Km

9.33

12

23

8.80

Rate per hour

233

275

370

220

If You cancel the ride

100

150

250

70

It is very clear form the price Charts of both the apps that Careem is quite expensive form Uber. The per kilometer charge of Careem is very high. Also, they charge per hour while Uber charge per minute.

Comparison of Coverage Areas

The plus point of Careem is that it is operating in almost 10 cities of the country including Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Haider Abad, Multan, Gujranwala, Sialkot and Abbottabad. However, it is not functional in some areas of Karachi.

Uber is only available in 6 cities of the country including Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Hyderabad, Faisalabad and Gujranwala.

Comparison of price Surcharge and Peak Factor

The main point on which these apps have been criticized a lot is their peak factor and price surcharge point. People have raised their concerned regarding their financial and sentimental exploitation in the name of comfort and technology.

Careem has reduced this problem a lot because they have higher number of cars and captains. Besides that, they have also introduced various monthly packages which can be availed by the clients. Through these packages, people can not only be free of peak factors but will also be able to save money.

On the other hand, Uber has slightly small number of captains which makes their cars unavailable most of the time. Even when the cars are available, their peak factors make it difficult for the clients to use them.

Comparison of Mapping System

Uber takes its GPS data directly from the google or from any other third-party system which is not accurate most of the time. This gives birth to the following problems;

There is always some problem with the pin location as most of the time the app shows the wrong pin location.

Uber gives rides to the drivers riding far away which makes customer to wait for a long time for its rider to come.

Most of the time, Uber captains have no idea of drop off location and they call the customers and ask them of the location.

Careem has its own dedicated location mapping system which works better than the Uber. The only problem that I have encountered with their mapping system is that they show the wrong timing of captain’s arrival.

Sometimes they show that the captain is 2 minutes away while he reaches the destination after 15 minutes. Similarly, sometimes they show that the captain is 15 minutes away while he takes only 2 minutes to arrive that cause customers to pay for the wait time.

Comparison of Booking Procedure

In terms of booking, Uber has a simple procedure. It has a user-friendly appearance. The customer is only required to provide the pick up and drop off location and then confirm the ride. This could be done in seconds without any difficulty.

On the other hand, Careem has a slightly difficult procedure. It is not that customer friendly. The customer is first asked to confirm the pickup and then provide the drop off location or skip if the customer want. Those who are new to the app always face difficulty in booking the ride as the procedure need to be understood first.

Comparison of Customer Service

Careem has customer care centers which is a big plus point. Anyone can visit these centers if they face any problem. But, when it comes to customer service on phones, the agents fail to provide good service.

The biggest drawback of Uber is that they don’t have customer care centers. However, their service on phone is quick and their agents are very cooperative. The problems get solved quickly.

Comparison of Customer Safety

Although, these apps have replaced the local taxis but the problem of security and the safety of customers still exist. Two major problems have been reported regarding the safety of customers;

The molestation of female riders. Yes, it is true. Many female riders have complained about the behavior of the captains as they tend to cross the limits in their conversation. Plus, some incidents of physical molestation have also been registered.

The captains usually contact the female riders later or give their numbers to their friends. Many girls have reported that they have been contacted by the captains and many other random boys after the ride.

To overcome this problem, Careem has introduced the new option of calling through head offices which means that the captain is contacted through random number instead of customer’s own numbers. This initiative is good for female riders as their contact number remain safe. That is why, female customers usually prefer Careem service.

Both careem and Uber are taking precautions in hiring the captains. They also ask about the review after the ride upon which the captain is rated. Plus, if customer register some problem then the companies make sure that some action is taken against the driver.

Comparison of Marketing Campaigns

In terms of campaigns, Careem is very active on social media and keep introducing promo codes. In addition, Careem has attracted customers with something creative and funny such as ‘Careem Air’, ‘Qurbani hides’, ‘Bakra on Wheels’ and ‘Rishta Aunty Service’. The marketing campaigns of Careem are quite famous and viral on social media.

On the other hand, Uber fails to attract people especially on social media. They seem to be completely absent and do not introduce promo codes or any other thing.

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